I have been blessed with many wonderful friendships in this life. Many of these friendships date back to my early childhood.
Sensitive people make great friends. They listen, they care deeply, they quite literally feel for you in any given situation.

Sensitive people make great friends. They listen, they care deeply, they quite literally feel for you in any given situation.

Sensitive people have been around forever, folks.
Many years ago, Carl Jung talked about
innate sensitiveness
. Sadly, this superpower isnot valued in our culture.
Do you share this superpower? Do you:

If you answered yes to the above questions, you are an empathy rock star, too. Have you learned to embrace your superpower?

We
all
have strengths and weaknesses. Every single person in this world has things that they are reeeeally good at and things that they stink at.
Sometimes, what we view as our weakness turns out to be our greatest strength.

Sometimes, what we view as our weakness turns out to be our greatest strength.

Being sensitive is a strength, not a weakness.
Being able to sense the emotions of those around you and to connect deeply with others is a superpower.

Being able to sense the emotions of those around you and to connect deeply with others is a superpower.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing some alone time to recharge.
Make sure you create some
space between
all the other things for yourself.

Today I took out a screen and opened a window to let out a fly. I couldn’t bear to hear his buzzing entreaties to be free. So yeah, I’m right there with you.

Except for the crying thing. My parents were both easily upset by a sad child so I did my very best to keep from crying. I well up with tears though —- as if I’ve got some kind of Poignant Moment Radar.

I always knew my daughter and I were sensitive. It was only recently that I learned it can be a strength. I have been working for years to help her embrace her superpowers of sensitivity and imagination. Both will be powerful for her, but both cause her great frustration, concern, and even fear at times. It is also difficult for others to understand why we cannot watch certain movies that their children watch and have no problems watching. If we were to watch them, we would have problems for weeks or months because it seems to real. It is helpful to remember as you point out that we have to learn how to help ourselves and our children and it’s okay if others don’t understand that.

I so get this. And it was my sensitive teenage daughter who helped me see the value in it; as I tried to help her feel value in being empathetic to others, I realized that it applied to me, too. What I struggle with on a daily basis, though, is that others around me are not as sensitive — and that they are not as sensitive towards ME. So here I am, being so careful not to hurt others’ feelings, when they are not as careful with mine — which are especially sensitive and prone to take things personally. It seems so unfair!! I’d appreciate words of wisdom for this conundrum — do you ever feel this way, Cait?

Oh yea, and then there’s the fact that when others are hurting, I feel so bad for them that I have a hard time doing anything productive myself… it’s not even MY issue but I can’t for the life of me decide to clean the kitchen or do the laundry. I’m thinking there’s got to be some balance here, lol…

Cities are energetic and magical places. Their people, buildings, rivers and diverse streets provide endless photographic opportunities. So why not grab your camera, get out and explore a city near you? We’ve come up with five tips to help you capture images you’ll feel proud of. Read on and learn how to improve your composition, cope with fading light and how to tell your city story.

1. Tell a tale of the city

All cities are historic and cultural melting pots containing thousands of different stories. As you explore a city, think about which of its tales most interests you, then dig a little deeper. Ignore well-known sights and try to find a unique narrative focal point that will invite your viewer into the world of your photo. This could be a historic Berlin building being restored, a chef at work in Rome or a group of locals heading out for a night on the town. The aim is to express how you feel about the city and to capture its essence in a single image. Try to leave your viewers curious about what they’re seeing and feeling intrigued to know more.

Blurred Commuters - James Blunt

The movement of people, goods or transport create the beating heart of most cities. Think of Amsterdam’s bicycle-powered rush hour, Bangkok’s floating markets or Dubai’s relentless traffic. To capture the city in motion, try exploring it on foot until you chance upon a busy junction, then stop and take a few shots from an interesting vantage point. If your camera lets you, adjust its shutter speed. Once you’ve chosen a slower shutter speed (e.g. 1/60 second or slower), hold your camera steady and capture the blurred effect of people moving against a static landscape. Or try panning shots – where you move your camera at the same time as a moving object like a bike or car. These take a little practice but produce rewarding results and are fun to try with any camera.

Many cities take on a new life when night falls, though it can be challenging to capture the atmosphere due to fading light. If you're shooting at dusk, it can help to use a tripod. If you don't have one, lean against a wall and hold your camera steady to capture street scenes without blur. Try to shoot cityscapes in places which have bright lights – like Prague’s Christmas markets or London’s West End. Shooting light trails can also be rewarding. Why not find a high vantage spot, like a bridge or rooftop terrace and capture the street below? If you have a DSLR, experiment by setting your camera's exposure time for around 20 seconds. Adjusting your camera or device's ISO settings (if it has them) can also help you create great night shots. Try holding your camera still to prevent unwanted blur, and switch to an ISO of 1600 or 3200. Your camera’s sensor will capture much more light – even at night. Or why not simply play with the available settings on your camera to create your unique take on the city after dark?